UAB Welcomes ULM to Open Home Schedule

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB Football returns to Birmingham for the first time in 2026 as the Blazers welcome ULM to Protective Stadium Saturday afternoon for their home opener. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+. The Blazers (0-1) look to build on several encouraging signs from their season opener at Illinois, where UAB outgained the Illini 413-332, rushed for 194 yards, recorded 24 first downs and controlled the football for more than 41 minutes despite falling 42-23.

Saturday also brings a familiar face back to Birmingham as former UAB head coach Bryant Vincent leads the Warhawks (0-1) into Protective Stadium after ULM opened its season with a 62-13 loss at Mississippi State. ULM owns a 2-1 edge in the all-time series, but UAB won the only previous meeting in Birmingham, 47-0 in 1999.

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup	ULM (0-1) at UAB (0-1)
Date	Saturday, Sept. 12
Kickoff	2:30 p.m. CT
Location	Protective Stadium – Birmingham, Ala.
Television	ESPN+
Live Stream Link	ULM vs. UAB
Television Crew	Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Kenechi Udeze (analyst)
Radio	WJOX-FM 94.5 (listen at joxfm.com or thevarsitynetwork.com)
UAB Radio Crew	David Crane (play-by-play), Bryant Turner (analyst), Landrum Roberts (sideline)
Series	ULM leads 2-1
Live Stats	UAB Statbroadcast
Social Media	X \| Instagram \| Facebook

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: UAB has been exceptionally good in home openers, winning 10 of its last 11 dating back to 2013 and four straight entering Saturday. During those 11 games, the Blazers have outscored opponents 458-186- an average score of 41.6-16.9 -while scoring 40+ points seven times. UAB is 4-1 in home openers at Protective Stadium.

TURNING PRODUCTION INTO POINTS: The final score at Illinois didn't necessarily reflect UAB's offensive production. The Blazers outgained Illinois 413-332, ran 79 plays to Illinois' 43, held the ball for 41:03 and had a 24-17 advantage in first downs. The next step is turning those extended possessions into touchdowns rather than field goals.

KEEP MOVING THE CHAINS: One of the biggest positives from Champaign was UAB's work on money downs. The Blazers converted 10-of-19 third downs (53 percent) and went 3-of-4 on fourth down. ULM, meanwhile, converted only 3-of-16 third downs (18.8 percent) against Mississippi State. That's a significant matchup to watch Saturday.

GROUND WORK: UAB rushed 48 times for 194 yards at Illinois, its most rushing yards in a season opener since 2022. Rod Robinson II (59), Bam McReynolds (56), Ryder Burton (38) and Kaleb Brown (24) all rushed for at least 24 yards, while Robinson, McReynolds and Ja'Vin Simpkins combined for 132 yards in their UAB debuts.

A MATCHUP TO EXPLOT: That rushing performance meets a ULM defense that surrendered 345 rushing yards on 37 attempts at Mississippi State - an average of 9.3 yards per carry. The Bulldogs piled up 762 total yards, including 417 through the air.

BURTON CLOSING IN ON 1K: Ryder Burton enters Saturday just 73 passing yards shy of 1,000 for his UAB career. After throwing for 219 yards and a touchdown and adding 38 rushing yards and another score at Illinois, Burton has 927 passing yards and eight touchdown passes as a Blazer.

PLENTY OF OPTIONS: Burton completed passes to nine different receivers in the opener, including five with multiple catches. Six Blazers had at least 20 receiving yards, led by CJ Smith's 57 and Ty Mims' 52, while Gabriel Cline, Scott Isacks and EJ Reid recorded the first receptions of their collegiate careers.

OFFENSE KEEPS PRODUCING: The 413 yards at Illinois marked the 18th time UAB has surpassed 400 yards of total offense since Alex Mortensen arrived as offensive coordinator in 2023. The Blazers have reached the mark seven times in 2023, five times in 2024, five times in 2025 and once already this season.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: UAB's defense allowed only 332 total yards and 43 offensive plays at Illinois. Seven Illinois points came directly on an interception return for a touchdown, while another Illini touchdown followed a 65-yard punt return that gave Illinois possession at the UAB 30. UAB's top six tacklers were all making their Blazer debuts, led by Muaaz Byard with seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

WHO WILL ULM START?: Aidan Armenta started at Mississippi State and went 10-of-16 for 67 yards, but Houston transfer Austin Carlisle provided ULM's biggest offensive spark after entering in the third quarter. Carlisle threw for 73 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a team-high 50 yards, accounting for 123 total yards and directing ULM's only touchdown drive.

LIMIT EXPLOSIVE PLAYS: ULM produced only one play longer than 18 yards at Mississippi State — Carlisle's 40-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Jameson. No other Warhawk reception went longer than 13 yards and no rush went longer than 18 as ULM finished with 278 total yards and 4.1 yards per play.

VERY FAMILIAR SIDELINE: Bryant Vincent becomes the first former UAB head coach to return to Birmingham as an opposing head coach. Vincent spent six seasons on the UAB sideline and led the Blazers to a 7-6 record and Bahamas Bowl championship in 2022. His ULM staff also includes several former Blazers, including Cameron Blankenship, Taylor Dupuis, Brady Vincent and former UAB running back Jermaine Brown Jr., the program's career leader with 5,026 all-purpose yards.

BAM VS. HIS FORMER TEAM: The reunion works both ways. UAB running back Bam McReynolds spent last season at ULM, rushing for 637 yards and three touchdowns while adding 90 receiving yards and another score. In his UAB debut, McReynolds rushed for 56 yards and added 25 receiving yards, giving him 81 yards from scrimmage against Illinois. UAB running backs coach Hindley Brigham also spent 2025 on Vincent's ULM staff before returning to Birmingham.

SPECIAL TEAMS WILL BE KEY: Jonah Delange accounted for 11 of UAB's 23 points at Illinois, going 3-for-3 on field goals and 2-for-2 on PATs, while Badger Hargett averaged 48.5 yards on two punts with a long of 52 and Ty Mims returned his lone punt 19 yards. ULM has a weapon of its own in kicker Abram Murray, who connected from 43 and 52 yards at Mississippi State.

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